Stella Rosevelt — page 190: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

_— 184 EXPLANATIONS. greatly distressed, and I, never suspecting the cause, pressed her to tell me. She turned upon me like an outraged queen, and denounced me in a manner that fairly took my breath away. She believed me to be simply Archibald Sherbrooke, an artist, until last night, when she saw me driven to your door and received as Lord Carrol; and, having heard exaggerated reports of my attentions to Miss Richards while at Long Branch, it is not strange that she should resent the seeming deception, for appearances are certainly against me. but a few words will set everything right, if you will explain something of this to her and secure an interview for me.” ‘*Then it is our Star whom you want to marry, my lord,” Mr. Richards said, reflectively, and as if he could hardly com- prehend it even yet, while he wondered if they could ever live through the tempest which his wife would surely raise when she should discover that Star had won the lover whom she was bending all her energies to secure for Josephine. ‘Yes, hoping for your sanction, of course,” Lord Carrol: answered, with a rising flush, for he could read something of what was passing in his host’s mind. ‘‘ But, pardon me,” he added, fixing a look of grave questioning upon his face, ‘‘now that I find she is the ward of your wife, I cannot understand why I have not met her with the other members of your family.” ‘Ahem! Well,” began Mr. Richards, with evident embarrass- ment, ‘‘she has been very deeply engaged with her studies ever since she came to us—is ambitious, you know, and also spends a great deal of her time practicing music, and my wife thought it would be best for her not to—to mingle in company much until she had—um!—completed her education ;” and Mrs. Richards, sitting just outside that open window, where she had heard every word of the above conversation, thanked the fates that for once her husband had smoothed awkward things over - for her quite comfortably. Ebooks.co =) (E@